Developing a framework for Landslide Susceptibility and Adaptability in South East Asia (SEAL)

Funded by NERC’s COP26 Adaption and Resilience

Project leads: Professor Ashraf Osman and Professor David Toll

The key objectives of SEAL are:

1. To produce a hazard map for landslide susceptibility in Southeast Asia.
2. To produce guidelines for landslides hazards and protective measures in Southeast Asia.
3. To establish a think-tank focussing on incorporating landslide hazards into national planning, funding cycles and infrastructure design whilst considering future climate scenarios and cognisance of sustainability, affordability, and appropriate technology aspects.

The SEAL think-tank includes a network of scientists, engineers, stakeholders, and policymakers. We have science experts from 11 universities in seven countries: the UK, India, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

A key outreach activity of the SEAL project team was a two-day international workshop on the theme “Landslides Susceptibility and Adaptability in South-East Asia: Theory to Practice” that took place in March 2022. There were close to 350 participants from more than 25 countries that included students, early career researchers and practicing engineers. The SEAL project team also organised a two-day international short course on the theme “Application of unsaturated soil mechanics on the analysis of slopes” which took place in February 2022.

The SEAL project team is now reviewing landslide manuals in Southeast Asia, with the aim of producing a more comprehensive set of guidelines suitable to the needs of stakeholders.